Restaurant signs in Toronto: what to choose and what the City requires

A restaurant is judged from the sidewalk before anyone reads the menu. The sign over the door tells people they have arrived, window graphics tell them what you serve and when you are open, and a few interior pieces set the mood once they are inside. This guide covers each of those and the City rules that apply.

The sign types restaurants use

• Lit letters over the door. Individual lit letters make the name readable from across the street at night. Channel letters can be front-lit, halo-lit or both, and are built to your logo and typeface.
• Lightboxes and projecting signs. A lightbox or blade sign is a lower-cost way to light a large area, and a double-sided blade sign sticks out from the wall so people walking along the street see it from the side.
• Neon and LED neon. A logo or line of text on a feature wall, or a sign in the window, makes the restaurant visible after dark. See neon signs for the difference between glass neon and LED neon.
• Window graphics. Hours, services, promotions and your logo on the glass, or frosted and one-way film where you need privacy. See vinyl graphics. Some cities limit how much of a storefront window can be covered, so we check the rules for your location before printing.
• A-frame sign on the sidewalk. Handy for a daily special, but it needs a City permit in Toronto (see below).

Lit or non-lit?

If people find you after dark, a lit sign keeps working all evening. If you mostly trade at lunch with walk-in traffic, a well-made non-illuminated sign can look just as sharp and costs nothing to run. We show both options on a photo of your building so the choice is easy.

Sign over the door: the permit

A sign that names your business on your own property is a first party sign in Toronto, and it generally needs a permit under the City's Sign By-law (Municipal Code Chapter 694). Plaza and building landlords often add their own sign criteria on letter height, colour and mounting. Our Toronto sign permit guide sets out what the City asks you to submit, and we prepare the drawings and apply for you as part of the job.

A-frame signs in Toronto

According to the City of Toronto's A-frame sign page (last modified August 20, 2026):

• An A-frame sign needs a City permit. The application fee is $151.32, HST included, and annual renewal is $105.73 plus HST.
• You need proof of $2 million in commercial general liability insurance, a site plan, the property owner's letter of authorization, photos of the sign and location, and a business licence where one is required.
• The sign can be no larger than 0.6 m wide, 1 m high and 0.75 m long.
• It is allowed on public property only if it cannot go on private property, and you must leave a 2.1 m pedestrian clearway on the sidewalk (2.5 m on certain downtown streets).
• One sign per business location: one for a frontage of 6.1 m or less, two for a longer frontage. If you have a sidewalk café permit, the sign must sit inside the café area.
• It can only be out during business hours, with no lights, sound or motion.
• Permits are not available on Bloor St. W. between Avenue Rd. and Yonge St., Bloor St. E. between Yonge St. and Sherbourne St., or Yonge St. south of Davenport Rd.

Source: City of Toronto, A-Frame Signs. Fees and rules change, so check the City's page before you apply.

What it costs

We do not publish prices for restaurant signs. Every sign is quoted per job, because letter count and height, lighting, mounting, access and city requirements all change the cost. For how pricing works on lit letters, see our channel letter sign cost guide.

How to get a quote

1. Send a photo of the storefront, taken straight on, and the address.
2. Send your logo or the wording you want on the sign.
3. Tell us if you are a tenant, so we can check your landlord's sign rules before we draw anything.

We come back with a drawing on a photo of your building and a quote for the sign, including the permit and installation.

Other cities

This guide covers Toronto. Mississauga, Markham, Vaughan and the other GTA cities have their own sign by-laws, forms and fees. Tell us the address and we will check the local rules before quoting.